The Black Law Student Association (BLSA) launched the celebration of Black History Month with a professional development networking event centered on the theme: “Raising the B.A.R. (Beatitudes, Accountability, and Representation) in the legal profession. The event was designed in conjunction with Regent University School of Law Career Services to provide students with the opportunity to learn more about professional development and interact with judges and leading professionals in the legal field.
"We are thrilled to be collaborating with BLSA
for the second year on a February flagship career program," said Rosey
Rivera, Associate Director for Career Services & Alumni Relations.
"Working together allows us to better provide our students with networking
opportunities with a diverse group of prominent alumni and legal professionals
in the community."
The commencement
speaker for the event was the Honorable Cleo Powell of the Supreme Court of
Virginia. Special guests included: the Honorable Vivian Henderson from the
Virginia Beach General District Court, Sean Mitchell - Assistant Commonwealth’s
Attorney for the city of Suffolk, Va., Lakishi Stevenson - Chief Public
Defender for the city of Chesapeake, Johnita Coston - from the Portsmouth
Public Defender’s Office, Ashley-Loren Grant - Assistant City Attorney for
Virginia Beach, and Jazmin Mullen-Allen from JMA LAW, PLC.
Regent BLSA's Chair, Damie, Omole, was thrilled with the event. "BLSA has continuously assisted students with engaging with the community and achieving excellence in law school," she said. "I am grateful that we also had the opportunity to organize the Raising the B.A.R event, which allowed students to interact personally with exceptional legal professionals and ultimately help students develop networking skills that can be used beyond the classroom."
The students and special guests were welcomed by Judge Marion R. Warren and Professor Gloria Whittico. Justice Powell delivered the opening speech for the event. She spoke to students on how they can Raise the B.A.R in their everyday lives as students and leaders. She encouraged students to strive for excellence in their work, no matter how small, and to remain humble.
At the conclusion
of her remarks, students had the opportunity to practice their networking
skills both in person and digitally with local professionals. In a world that
is ever evolving towards technology, this challenged students to hone their
small talk and learn more about being a lawyer in Hampton Roads. This event
allowed the students to interact with the special guests individually and in
small groups, which allowed them to ask questions, be more engaged, and learn
from the experiences of exceptional leaders in the local area.
About Black Law Students Association
The mission of Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black and minority attorneys who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
About Regent Law
Regent Law’s more than 4,465 graduates practice law in all 50 states and over 20 countries and include 38 currently sitting judges. The School of Law currently ranks in the top 11 percent of all law schools for graduates obtaining judicial clerkships and ranked 20th in the nation for Ultimate Bar Passage in 2019. The school offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) in three-year and part-time formats, an online M.A. in Law, an online M.A. in Financial Planning & Law, an on-campus and online LL.M. in Human Rights and an on-campus and online LL.M. in American Legal Studies.